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Sto caricando le informazioni... Biopunk: DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life (edizione 2011)di Marcus Wohlsen (Autore)
Informazioni sull'operaBiopunk: DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life di Marcus Wohlsen
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Iscriviti per consentire a LibraryThing di scoprire se ti piacerà questo libro. Attualmente non vi sono conversazioni su questo libro. Appropriately for its subject matter, a thoroughly amateur writing style reminiscent of a high-school magazine. The content though is kinda cool. However, always there's the assumption that fucking with the biota is just A OK, and the silly dishonesty that genetic pollution == normal breeding is, like in any high-school magazine, trotted out. Some amazing stuff here, oh yes. I received this book from Goodreads First Reads for free. I think it's absolutely hilarious that I won this book, because it's about people deciding to do bio-hacking in their own space and time, rejecting the idea that good science has to come from institutionalized academia or biotech companies; I've worked in both. I initially thought the book would just be a bunch of case studies of people doing wacky experiments in their kitchens in their spare time and I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is so much more than that. There are several do it yourselfers in the book, and Wohlsen does a great job of describing what they're doing, the science behind it and /why/ they're doing it. Even better, he goes into some of the politics and rigidity presented by academic institutions and biotech corporations and how and why these individuals are working beyond those restrictions. It also deals with the potential consequences and challenges that come with this type of citizen science. I think he did a great job of describing the motivations behind a lot of the bio-punk/hack/do it yourself movement. Some of it is self-motivated (trying to discover whether or not you have the potential for a deadly disease in your genes without spending the thousands of dollars for a test the insurance companies don't want to pay for) or altruistic (teaching the community about science, or trying to find an inexpensive way to help poor, rural areas detect/differentiate diseases). The ethics and thought processes behind this DIY crowd is quite similar to the rest of the growing DIY movement, but there are more serious ramifications when tinkering with biological systems (especially with fears of bioterrorism abounding) and I think he does do a good job describing them. The bio-punk/hack movement is intrinsically anti-establishment, and I appreciate that Wohlsen presents the bio-hack vs institutional argument fairly balanced. At first I worried that the book would be very biased against traditional research, but it wasn't and I also feel he could not go into the positives of research in bigger/better funded institutions without removing the focus of the book from biopunks. What I really enjoyed about the book (and why this book earned an extra star) is that the science in it is fairly solid. As a biologist, I get very tired of uneducated hack-writers making biology (or any science, really) incredibly wrong, either skipping explanations at all or making arguments/explanations wildly inaccurate. The science in this book was not 100% perfect, but it was pretty damn close, and for the lay person, it's probably more than good enough. I liked this book, it's easy to read, immensely interesting and gratifying if you are a biologist interested in a different side of science. It covers the whole gamut from how someone can build something in their kitchen, how they can fund it, and the dangers and/or inherent risks of doing DIY science. It also debunks hysterical fears and gives a realistic view of what people can really accomplish and how natural curiosity and a drive to do better can turn anyone into a scientist. I received this book from Goodreads First Reads for free. I think it's absolutely hilarious that I won this book, because it's about people deciding to do bio-hacking in their own space and time, rejecting the idea that good science has to come from institutionalized academia or biotech companies; I've worked in both. I initially thought the book would just be a bunch of case studies of people doing wacky experiments in their kitchens in their spare time and I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is so much more than that. There are several do it yourselfers in the book, and Wohlsen does a great job of describing what they're doing, the science behind it and /why/ they're doing it. Even better, he goes into some of the politics and rigidity presented by academic institutions and biotech corporations and how and why these individuals are working beyond those restrictions. It also deals with the potential consequences and challenges that come with this type of citizen science. I think he did a great job of describing the motivations behind a lot of the bio-punk/hack/do it yourself movement. Some of it is self-motivated (trying to discover whether or not you have the potential for a deadly disease in your genes without spending the thousands of dollars for a test the insurance companies don't want to pay for) or altruistic (teaching the community about science, or trying to find an inexpensive way to help poor, rural areas detect/differentiate diseases). The ethics and thought processes behind this DIY crowd is quite similar to the rest of the growing DIY movement, but there are more serious ramifications when tinkering with biological systems (especially with fears of bioterrorism abounding) and I think he does do a good job describing them. The bio-punk/hack movement is intrinsically anti-establishment, and I appreciate that Wohlsen presents the bio-hack vs institutional argument fairly balanced. At first I worried that the book would be very biased against traditional research, but it wasn't and I also feel he could not go into the positives of research in bigger/better funded institutions without removing the focus of the book from biopunks. What I really enjoyed about the book (and why this book earned an extra star) is that the science in it is fairly solid. As a biologist, I get very tired of uneducated hack-writers making biology (or any science, really) incredibly wrong, either skipping explanations at all or making arguments/explanations wildly inaccurate. The science in this book was not 100% perfect, but it was pretty damn close, and for the lay person, it's probably more than good enough. I liked this book, it's easy to read, immensely interesting and gratifying if you are a biologist interested in a different side of science. It covers the whole gamut from how someone can build something in their kitchen, how they can fund it, and the dangers and/or inherent risks of doing DIY science. It also debunks hysterical fears and gives a realistic view of what people can really accomplish and how natural curiosity and a drive to do better can turn anyone into a scientist. Biopunk is an interesting and frightening read. It's interesting to read about all the things scientist are doing with DNA coding and gene splicing and the like, but it's frightening when one considers all the things that science has unleashed on the world that ended up having unintended consequences. I think many of the things mentioned in the book have the potential to cause major problems. Ultimately, reading Biopunk is a bit like reading a science book, a history book, some biographies and maybe, possibly a little horror.... That being said, incredibly interesting and accessible information for the layman and worth the read for anyone interested in learning about what science is brewing up - from oil eating microbes, to the end of cancer. nessuna recensione | aggiungi una recensione
Elenchi di rilievo
Bill Gates recently told Wired that if he were a teenager today, he would be hacking biology. "If you want to change the world in some big way," he says, "that's where you should start--biological molecules." The most disruptive force on the planet resides in DNA. Researchers are just beginning to unlock the potential of piecing together life from scratch. Champions of synthetic biology believe that turning genetic code into LEGO-like blocks to build never-before-seen organisms could solve the thorniest challenges in medicine, energy, and environmental protection. But as an earlier generation of computer hackers proved, the most revolutionary discoveries often emerge from out-of-the-way places, forged by brilliant outsiders with few resources besides boundless energy and great ideas. Marcus Wohlsen chronicles a growing community of DIY scientists working outside the walls of corporations and universities who are committed to democratizing DNA the way the Internet did information. The "biohacking" movement, now in its early, heady days, aims to unleash genetically modified innovation by making the tools of biotechnology accessible to everyone. Borrowing their idealism from the worlds of open-source software, artisanal food, Internet start-ups, and the Peace Corps, biopunks are advocates for open-sourcing the basic code of life. They believe in the power of individuals with access to DNA to solve the world's biggest problems. You'll meet a new breed of hackers who aren't afraid to get their hands wet, from entrepreneurs who aim to bring DNA-based medical tools to the poorest of the poor to a curious tinkerer who believes a tub of yogurt and a jellyfish gene could protect the world's food supply. Along with the potential of citizen science to bring about significant change, Wohlsen explores the risks of DIY bioterrorism, the possibility of genetic engineering experiments gone awry, and whether the ability to design life from scratch on a laptop might come sooner than we think. --Book Jacket. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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I did find the chapter on Indian farmers "hacking" Monsantos GMO seed stock the old fashioned way rather interesting and amusing. The farmers saved the seeds produced by the GMO plants, crossed them with seeds native to India, saved and then traded the resulting native seeds which in the end produced plants that could cope better in the local conditions than the expensive GMO seeds. And they did all this without paying a licensing fee. Of course, Monsanto wasn't happy about this, but due to lack of regulation and motivation by the Indian government to do anything about this "theft" and hacking of GMO seeds, Monsanto couldn't do anything about it.
If you are looking for inspirational stories of citizen scienctists experimenting with DNA in the garage, this book may interest you. In terms of in-depth science this book is rather lacking.
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